"Sharog!" It was the yell of a burly orc, Nag.
"Dakgu is asking for support! They are under attack!" Nag was reporting to Sharog urgent news. A couple of days ago such a thing would be odd but as she was made the leader of the settlement it was normal for Nag to report to her.
It wasn't easy though, less than three days after Ed's departure, Sharog had told everyone of Ed's wishes and her new position. There was obviously opposition, primarily from Duma's tribe who had until recently had nothing to do with Sharog and Vorgarag.
It was only an alliance, why were they getting absorbed? If Duma had perished then someone from their tribe would step up, they wouldn't accept anything less! The settlement thus suffered from internal conflict.
The outsiders were trying to take their home! Physical conflict broke out. This was obviously within Sharog's expectations, however. That meant she had a lot of time to prepare but...
The plan she concocted on was from an outsider's perspective, unreliable. Even she had to admit it was less than optimal. She had many limiting factors when coming up with a plan within a short amount of time.
For example, She wanted to avoid a pointless massacre. It wouldn't do for Ed to return and see Sanctuary having half of its population. Vorgarag's angekok tribe and Sharon's Bloodshed tribe, therefore, ran out of the settlement.
Not an hour later however they went to forcefully retake hold of the situation. There were many valiant orcs on Duma's tribe who showed their mettle, but their mettle alone was not enough.
Sharog wasn't stupid. Ed and Vorgarag had taught her a couple of things. For example, if you were losing you probably weren't using enough crystals!
She had stealthily arranged to have a large amount of the stored crystals taken outside the settlement. Duma had provided a lot of manpower for the crystal mine though making it hard for such actions to go unnoticed.
Luckily, most of the orcs were only interested in celebrating their victory. That was also why Sharog decided to rush the matter rather than playing the long con. Most of the orcs wouldn't even think twice about some suspicious activity.
Using the crystals her firepower was overwhelming. She even left various marks on the newly rebuilt wall. She also used various wind spells to incapacitate the aspiring orc leaders. The more rowdy ones were killed on the spot.
The rest of Duma's tribesmen had no choice but to submit to Sharog once their potential leader candidates were killed or incapacitated.
"They can't handle it?" Sharog asked with skepticism. While the news in the orc plains was basically none existent, most tribes would try to keep up on the number of orcs a tribe held and their combat capabilities. Fighting blindly wasn't a smart strategy.
She found it odd that a tribe with such knowledge would attack the thunder cry tribe. While in theory, Dakgu having just become the leader of the tribe following Durgash's death made for an easy target… the reality was that the Alivio potions they had provided them made them a stronger force than when Durgash was still alive.
"Uhm, Makhu ran all the way here, I think- No, they are in trouble" Nag corrected himself and reassured Sharog of the urgency of the situation. Makhu was Dakgu's best friend, for him to be sent off was rather serious.
Sharog now needed to make a decision. Allies help each other, it was a no brainer. But in actuality, the tribes were no longer allies. The agreement was for one, not permanent, and also solely for dealing against humans.
After a short period of silent deliberation, Sharog decided on what to do.
"We will help them" Sharog resolutely told Nag as she stood up from her seat. They were both inside of Duma's old cabin. The place was currently serving as her home and where people could find her.
They both headed out of it to gather the warriors and spur them for battle. As they did, Sharog's thoughts were preoccupied with another matter...
'I hope Ed returns soon' Sharog was actually quite afraid that her decision was a bad one and couldn't help but think back on Ed's overwhelming strength. For if he was there then there would be nothing to fear.
The issue was that he wasn't. Leading a small tribe like her depleting Bloodshed tribe was not an issue but taking care of the entirety of sanctuary put surmountable pressure on her mind. It was taxing.
But she still chose to participate in an unexpected and uncertain battle. Why was that?
It was certainly not confidence. The thunder cry tribe was without Ed and Vorgarag superior in strength. If they couldn't handle the foes than what chance did they stand? Would the thunder cry tribe not suffer defeat before they ever even made it there?
What was she fighting for then? There were no benefits, right?
Ed told her his plans. To leave a mark in the 'dungeon's' history. She wasn't sure what he meant but she wanted to do her best to help him accomplish that lofty ideal. Ed had spared her and given her unconditional trust, it was the least she could do.
She couldn't subvert his expectations. At the very least she needed to keep things as they had been.
***
Hours later inside of the sacred tribe's cathedral...
"Ma'am Chieftess." An orc warrior wearing light armor came to Chieftess Lagakha.
"Yes, my child?" An aged voice asked back warmly.
"The outsider's information has been confirmed to be true." The orc warrior answered solemnly.
The old orc woman seemed to have expected that and showed no surprise. She instead decided it was a perfect time to denounce the outsiders.
"Those heretics have no sense of companionship." The old lady was of course referring to Duma's recount of the orc plains.
The ancestors' tribes were killing each other. The descendants were living in turmoil among one another in order to survive another day. In her eyes, they were savages. They were like a pack of goblins, brainless.
Duma had even sold out all of the locations of the tribes he knew and their status. The old lady felt like laughing out loud. No, she actually did start laughing.
"Hahaha, haha!" It was a hearty and aged laugh that resonated inside the old stone cathedral. It was chilling.
She laughed because the situation was completely unlike their tribe who had chosen to sacrifice some orcs to God every now and then. They were blessed with peace deep within the forest and were allowed to advance their magic knowledge through the ancestors' stones of knowledge. Although one of them was missing, it was more than enough for them to maintain peace and live unrivaled.
The orc warrior didn't bat an eye at the chieftess' eccentric behavior and simply behaved himself. They were baptized in the religion from a young age and knew better than to disrespect the chief. They were the ones that could communicate with God and were usually immersed in magic knowledge from a young age. They were strong and unfathomable.
"Kill him." The old lady composed herself and sent down a new order. Since they knew the knowledge was true they could simply kill him.
"...Yes Ma'am" The warrior said and left the cathedral. He circled around it before finding a set of stairs. The prison was located underneath the cathedral but the entrance was from the outside.
Duma who was locked inside of a cell in the dark suddenly covered his eyes. Following the sound of a door opening, a light had entered the eerie and dusty location. His eyes quickly adjusted to the new light and they even sparkled with understanding.
Two warriors, one carrying a simple torch, had entered the premise. They must have verified his information!
"See, I would never dare lie!" Duma spoke enthusiastically as he blatantly lied. He would surely be posing if it weren't for his arms and legs being restrained.
"Your sins have surely been forgiven" One of the warriors said piously. The image of the strong orc holding a sharp and bloody ax while looking up at the ceiling with faithful devotion was jarring. It painted an odd contrast that gave Duma a great sense of unease.
He subconsciously gulped with nervosity as the warrior holding the torch removed the rope that tightly held together his cell door and allowed the fierce hulky warrior inside.
"H-hey… you, you don't need to have that axe in hand, do you? I- You can untie me without it!" Duma spoke with delirium. If it weren't for the fact that he was bound Duma would have already shot out running.
"You will now join God" But the warrior didn't share his same concerns. He had glanced over them as if he had heard nothing but a buzzing in his ears.
"What?!? No! Yo- You said I was forgiven! You said I could atone!" Duma yelled madly after hearing his worst fears come to pass.
The burly orc lifted his bloodied axe.
"You have been forgiven and God will now grant you much deserved peace" Was there a better reward? The forgiven heretic would be absorbed into God's kingdom following his death. Yes, the orc truly believed this to be the case.
"Noooo!" Duma started to violently shake as he struggled to remove the rope confining his arms and legs.
The axe started moving. Yes, Duma's frantic eyes which were biting away at the rope that tied his hands caught glimpse of the sharp edge that darted towards his body. He was desperate.
"Nooo! Noo-!" The sound of his despairing cries was cut short. Desperation didn't mean he would get any results.
Blood splattered as the axe dug right into Duma's unprotected head. His head was split apart like a melon.
In a way, Duma did atone. He atoned for his betrayal.
"Let's go" The other warrior that held the torch outside said after watching the spectacle with indifferent eyes. The other nodded and picked up a nearby cloth to gently wipe his axe.
He left Duma's corpse to lay on the cell without any regard.. His job was done, Duma was now in god's hands.